NICTA

NICTA

Type	Company limited by guarantee
Industry	Information and Communications Technology Research
Founded	2002
Headquarters	Sydney, Australia
Key people	Hugh F. Durrant-Whyte, CEO
Employees	700
Website	nicta.com.au

Construction of NICTA's new premises at the Australian Technology Park (ATP)

NICTA (National ICT Australia Ltd) is Australia's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence. NICTA's primary goal is to pursue high-impact research excellence and, through application of this research, to create national benefit and wealth for Australia. NICTA aims to be one of the world's top ten ICT research centres by 2020.

NICTA's research is structured around Research Groups, and Business Teams (see below).

Research Groups and Business Teams

NICTA research is focused in six large scale Research Groups.

• Software Systems
• Networks
• Machine Learning
• Computer Vision
• Control and Signal Processing
• Optimisation

These groups each have a long-term vision for innovative ICT research with the aim of becoming the leading groups in their fields.

NICTA focuses on wealth creation opportunities that draw on and exploit its area of research excellence. This takes the form of funded industry partnerships, spin-out companies or research outcomes which have a major societal impact. Four Business Teams drive commercial outcomes in the following recognised application domains for ICT:

• Broadband and the Digital Economy
• Health
• Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics
• Safety and Security

NICTA is especially focused on developing outcomes that have major national benefit.

Locations

NICTA has over 700 people spread across five cities:

• Australian Technology Park Laboratory and Headquarters, Sydney
• Neville Roach Research Laboratory, Kensington, Sydney
• Canberra Research Laboratory
• Queensland Research Laboratory
• Victoria Research Laboratory
• Outreach programs in South Australia

Funding

NICTA is funded by the Australian Government as represented by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and the Australian Research Council. NICTA is also supported by its members and partners.

History

In 2002, NICTA won a competitive selection process to be established as Australia's national centre of excellence in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) research, under an Australian Government policy initiative to promote science and innovation called Backing Australia's Ability^[1]. The creation of the centre was intended to address a previously identified weakness in long-term strategic ICT research in Australia.^[2] NICTA was officially opened on 27 February 2003^[3].

The founding members of NICTA were the University of New South Wales, Australian National University, the NSW Government, and the ACT Government. NICTA later acquired other university and government partners. In January 2003, The University of Sydney became a partner. In July 2004, the Victorian Government and The University of Melbourne became partners.^[4] In January 2005, the Queensland Government, the University of Queensland, Griffith University, and the Queensland University of Technology became partners.^[5]

Since foundation NICTA has created six new companies, collaborated on joint projects with a range of ICT industries, developed a substantial technology and intellectual property portfolio and continues to supply new talent to the ICT industry through a NICTA-supported PhD program.

See also

• OpenNICTA

References

1. ^ "DCITA page on ICT Centre of Excellence—National ICT Australia (NICTA)". 2 November 2006. http://www.dcita.gov.au/communications_for_business/funding_programs__and__support/ict_centre_of_excellence. Retrieved 11 April 2007. 
2. ^ "ZDNet Australia news article NICTA: Fighting Australia's brain drain". 7 April 2003. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/print.htm?TYPE=story&AT=120273444-139023166t-110000004c. Retrieved 12 April 2007. 
3. ^ "Text of speech by Senator the Hon Richard Alston, the Minister for Communications, IT and the Arts". 27 February 2003. http://www.dcita.gov.au/Article/0,,0_4-2_4008-4_113643,00.htm. Retrieved 11 April 2007. 
4. ^ "Connecting Victoria No. 15 (Victorian Government ICT Newsletter)" (PDF). July 2004. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070829065932/http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Resource_Centre/Connvic15.pdf. Retrieved 2 May 2007. 
5. ^ "Queensland Ministerial Media Statement High Tech Lab To Research E-Security And Counter-Terrorism". 18 February 2005. http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=39687. Retrieved 2 May 2007. 

External links

• NICTA Webpage